Building Teams that Outperform, Year after Year
Overview
Success in sports is often attributed to raw talent, groundbreaking strategies, or sheer determination. However, as The Sports Playbook: Building Teams That Outperform Year After Year by Joshua Gordon, Gary Furlong, and Ken Pendleton reveals, sustainable success requires a deeper understanding of what truly drives high performance in sports teams: the interplay of Talent, Character, and Culture. This book provides a comprehensive framework for fostering a “winning culture” that goes beyond competition, addressing the root causes of destructive conflict and emphasizing proactive measures for long-term success.
Why This Book Matters
In today’s fast-evolving sports landscape, destructive conflict poses one of the greatest threats to team cohesion, performance, and reputation. Hazing, bullying, poor sportsmanship, and other systemic issues can derail even the most talented teams. The Sports Playbook offers actionable insights into preventing these challenges by fostering a positive and supportive team culture, aligning individual and team goals, and implementing clear issue resolution processes.
Whether you are a coach, athletic administrator, team executive, or sports organization leader, this book equips you with the tools to build teams that consistently perform at their peak—both on and off the field.
Key Concepts
The High Cost of Destructive Conflict
Destructive conflict in sports impacts not just the performance of a team but also its financial health and public image. From hazing scandals to public disputes, these conflicts are systemic problems that cannot be resolved simply by removing “bad apples.”
- “Destructive conflict in sports is a costly, systemic problem. Destructive conflict results in high monetary costs, poor athletic performance, brand and reputation damage, and can end careers.” (Chapter 1)
The Three Pillars of Success: Talent, Character, and Culture
Success is built on more than just talent. Teams must also focus on fostering individual character and building a cohesive culture.
- Talent: Physical and mental skills are critical but not sufficient alone.
- Character: Motivation, work ethic, and personal responsibility ensure athletes apply their talent productively.
- Culture: A team’s values and behavioral norms must align with its mission, vision, and goals.
- “There are three core elements, or ‘pillars,’ that success in sport is based on. Successful teams have learned that their primary goal is to nurture and develop all three of these pillars.” (Chapter 2)
Building a “Winning Culture”
Two contrasting approaches to team culture are explored in-depth:
- High Power-Gap Culture: Autocratic coaching styles, exemplified by Bobby Knight, where authority is centralized.
- Low Power-Gap Culture: Shared responsibility and athlete empowerment, exemplified by the New Zealand All Blacks, where humility and teamwork drive success.
- “The idea of star players doing the most unglamorous of jobs seems, both literally and figuratively, quite foreign to North Americans or indeed most other cultures, but not to New Zealanders.” (Chapter 2)
Proactive vs. Reactive Approaches
The book emphasizes that preventing destructive conflict through proactive measures saves significant time, money, and reputational damage. Clear cultural guidelines, defined roles, and issue resolution processes are essential.
- “As shown in Figure 1.4 below, the direct costs of an incident can easily be 100 times greater for a reactive approach than a proactive approach. This makes more sense when thinking about cost as a function of time.” (Chapter 1)
Applications in Sports
1. Team Management:
- Build clear roles and responsibilities for players, coaches, and administrators to prevent confusion and ensure accountability.
- Create open communication channels for addressing mixed motives or competing goals among team members.
2. Conflict Prevention and Resolution:
- Implement proactive conflict resolution training and establish a well-defined Issue Resolution Process.
- Foster alignment by clearly defining team goals, values, and expectations for behavior.
3. Cultural Transformation:
- Shift from autocratic coaching methods to collaborative, athlete-empowered approaches.
- Use shared responsibilities to build a culture of mutual respect and voluntary commitment.
4. Governance and Compliance:
- Develop policies that address systemic issues like hazing or bullying at the organizational level.
- Use cultural alignment strategies to support governance reforms and compliance measures.
Notable Quotes
- On addressing systemic conflict: “Certainly, individual accountability has its place, but if the underlying causes of destructive conflict are systemic in nature, then removing a ‘bad apple’ won’t have lasting impact if you are running a ‘bad apple factory.’” (Chapter 1)
- On the dangers of mixed motives: “One of the most common and most destructive assumptions made in sports is that everyone has the same motivation for being there, that everyone has the same expectations for ‘how we do things around here.’” (Chapter 2)
- On the power of culture: “Teamwork can only blossom when everyone on the team is pulling in the same direction, knows and is committed to the same goals and objectives, and knows, deeply, that their teammates are on board with the same mission, vision, and goals as they are.” (Chapter 2)
About the Authors
- Joshua Gordon: A leading expert in sports conflict resolution, Joshua combines his experience in mediation and organizational strategy to help teams address systemic challenges and build winning cultures.
- Gary Furlong: An accomplished mediator and author, Gary specializes in organizational negotiation and conflict resolution, offering decades of expertise to teams and businesses.
- Ken Pendleton: A scholar in sports history and culture, Ken brings a deep understanding of the social dynamics that shape athletic success.
Get the Book
Ready to build a high-performing team? Discover the actionable steps and tools in The Sports Playbook to foster alignment, prevent conflict, and sustain success in your organization.
